Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

More Than One Sort of Prison

Chapter One

Alliance Headquarters on Yavin 4…

The council members who formed the heads of the Alliance gathered together once again hours after the surviving rebels of the great battle on Scarif returned to their base to mourn the loss of all who died fighting to steal the Death Star plans from the Empire. Among them stood one of the Rebellion's founders, Mon Mothma, General Draven, all who fought and survived the battle, as well as the rebels who didn't, then waited for the Chief of State to speak in honor of their dead.

The woman in white robes raised her hands to quiet all gathered around her and then spoke softly in reverence saying, "Many warriors died today in order to bring a new hope to our rebellion. They bravely fought a battle which we didn't plan on. A battle many of us didn't agree upon. But it was a battle that was necessary if we are to finally succeed in destroying the mighty Empire once and for all. And in the end we succeeded in getting those plans that are now safely in the hands of Princess Leia Organa, who is currently on her way to find an ally with the power to help us against our enemy."

Mon Mothma paused a moment when the sadness she felt over their major loss briefly threatened to overwhelm her, then she continued, "This was possible because of a small team who called themselves Rogue One. They rebelled against this council's orders because it was what was right, despite the number of casualties we sustained. This team was led by one of our own, Captain Cassian Andor of Rebel Intelligence and the daughter of the Imperial science officer imperative to the building and possible destruction of the Death Star, Jyn Erso. Captain Andor's droid, K-2SO, along with two of Jedha's temple guardians, Chirrut Imwe and Baze Malbus, and former Imperial pilot, Bodhi Rook also led the band of rebels. Another battle above Scarif took place while the others fought below, a battle that was led by Admiral Raddus to take down the planet's shield gate so that the plans could be transmitted from Scarif's surface to our fleets. Most of them have been killed, slaughtered by the Empire. And we fear that all of Rogue One have died upon the Death Star's ignition of its superweapon upon the planet. We owe these men and women many thanks for their ultimate sacrifice."

"We may now have the plans that might allow us to take down this planet killer, but there is no guarantee that we will be successful in this endeavor," one of the councilmen who had initially opposed Jyn's plea to send the rebel fleet to retrieve the plans responded in anger. "What if Princess Leia and this mysterious ally you refuse to name fail and the plans fall back into the hands of the Empire?"

"What if the Star Destroyer that took out the majority of our fleets pursues after the Princess' ship and manages to take her or our men alive?" another of the council members asked sternly, skeptical of the Rebellion's chance for success. "The Empire could learn where we are based and wipe us all out in one fell swoop. Our rebellion would be finished!"

General Draven stood at Mon Mothma's side in the rogues' defense as he answered firmly, "We have to believe that Princess Organa will do what is necessary to ensure that that won't happen. Despite my objections to his defiance of his orders, I believed in Captain Andor's ability to get the task done that was required of him and together he and Jyn Erso succeeded in the impossible."

Mon Mothma smiled at the General as she understood what Draven was saying and finished for him replying, "Well said, General. We must believe that Rogue One's strength and courage lies within all of those who fight with us against the Empire. We must have faith in the Force. We will succeed in their defeat. But this moment is not the right moment to dwell on the war between Rebellion and Empire. Soon, but now is the time to show our appreciation to those who gave their lives and to mourn their loss. To Rogue One and all the rest who fought in today's battle. We thank you for your courage and we will miss you."

"To Rogue One, and our rebel warriors!" Draven called out.

"To our warriors!" everyone else in the war room shouted resolutely in unison.

On the beach on Scarif…

Jyn weakly opened her eyes hours after the blast from the Death Star that had turned the Citadel tower and beach into ash and ruin, though she had yet to gain any sense of time or of anything else as she struggled to focus and break free from the haze that was clouding her mind while she struggled to move again. How she had managed to survive the planet killer's discharge that destroyed everything else around her for miles, she didn't know. Perhaps the Force was more powerful than she initially believed, as was the kyber crystal she wore around her neck.

As she started to sit up against her body's protests, Jyn suddenly felt a heavy weight pinning her left side to the ground and she looked over to find the man who had miraculously found the strength to come back to save her again from being killed by the villain in white responsible for both her father's and her mother's deaths, despite her having watched the rebel Captain fall several feet against the metal beams and grate supporting the weight of the data tower they climbed to get onto the outer platform after he had been shot by the Imperial's blaster.

Because his eyes were closed tight and his skin was deathly pale, Jyn feared Cassian wasn't lucky enough to survive the wave of fire that had consumed them as they embraced one another, as she had been. While she knew Kay was destroyed protecting his friends as he would have done without Cassian's orders for him to do so, and suspected that Bodhi, Chirrut, and Baze had also been killed as well, Cassian's death hit her the hardest, both now and before when she was forced to watch him fall from the tower as she believed he had died then too.

After all Cassian's done for her despite the cruel words she had spat at him on their way back from Eadu, he still saved her more than once since they met days ago. He was right then that he didn't have to talk his way around his acceptance of his order to kill her father. He had disobeyed the order and would have done everything he could to save Galen Erso if he could have. Cassian Andor was no stormtrooper as she told him he was. He was in fact a hero to her even if he couldn't believe so himself.

Jyn's hand shook as she touched her fingers to Cassian's face, then his neck and almost cried out with joy when she felt a pulse, even though it was a faint one. While the pain she felt from her own minor injuries was difficult, she knew that the agony Cassian had suffered in his fall from the data tower and then having to climb back up to get back to her despite that agony was much worse. She remembered having to take on more and more of his weight against her the further they walked away from the tower until he finally collapsed at the shore's edge.

But he was alive and it was now up to her to keep him so. First she needed to find a way to get them off of Scarif and find a nearby planet where she could get him the help she could see he so desperately needed, that they both needed. However, the chances of her finding a ship that hadn't been demolished in the blast were even worse than her chance of quickly learning how to fly one. Jyn knew that the only way they were both going to survive now and get off the planet was if someone flew in soon.

She placed both of her hands against the sides of Cassian's face to try to wake him as she whispered fearfully, "Cassian, please… I don't think I can do this alone. I don't want to be alone anymore. The others are gone, but I… I need you. We need to leave this planet before the Empire arrives to scavenge whatever else might have survived the Death Star's blast. That is if we can find a ship. But you need to fly because I can't. Wake up, soldier."

All of a sudden, a voice spoke up from behind Jyn as she swiftly spun around with Cassian's blaster raised and ready to fire despite the pain in her leg and knee, while the stranger took a few steps back and said nervously, "Whoa, whoa. Take it easy there, rebel. I didn't just walk over here to get myself killed."

"Who are you?" Jyn curtly asked, refusing to stand down even though she could see that the man before her wasn't armed with a weapon as far as she could tell. "How are you still alive after that blast? Are you with the Empire?"

"You sure do ask a lot of questions," he responded and then smiled. "No, I'm not with the Empire, nor do I care anything about your Rebellion. I know what you are because of your clothes, not to mention because I heard about the rebel attack on this planet before my partner and I arrived. We're alive because we weren't here yet when whatever weapon had the power to create such destruction fired. And in answer to your first question, I'm a smuggler. We are. Not to mention thieves. It looks to me that you and your unconscious friend there, could use our help."

She didn't trust the stranger, as she saw a greedy look in his eyes when he looked between her and Cassian, but she knew that he was right and so she cautiously lowered the blaster in her hands, holstered it on her own belt, then she answered sternly, "You're right. We do need your help. But something tells me you're not going to help us without some sort of payment exchange. I don't have money, or even credits. We weren't expecting we'd survive this fight. So what do you want for safe transport off this planet, for me and my friend? Also whatever medical supplies you might have?"

The smuggler chortled and then replied, "That there crystal hanging around your neck could fetch me a pretty price. My partner and I will give you safe passage off Scarif… and whatever else you want. If not, your wounded friend will be the first one to die on this wasteland."

"This necklace is important to me," Jyn responded worryingly while she looked down on Cassian worryingly and tucked the kyber crystal beneath her shirt. "There must be something else I can give you. Perhaps even forged papers that will allow you and your partner to get around the galaxy easier if you help me get to old friend of mine. No doubt you're wanted for your crimes, either by the Empire or the Alliance, or both."

"And where is this other friend of yours?" the stranger's partner asked when he appeared beside the other man, this time with a blaster trained on Cassian. "Don't test me. You try anything, I will kill him first."

She glared between them as she answered, "It isn't far if your ship can jump to lightspeed. Cloud City."

The first stranger smiled again and replied, "I know it well. You're not the only one with connections there. I say you have yourself a deal, rebel."